Joshua Tree wood query

In message , tom koehler writes

Tom, I have a simple view. If you can get some, and can dry it, try turning it, wood turning has not been restricted to wood for some time :)

I recently got my hands on what we believe to be Cordyline ( Cabbage Palm) looks like wood, turns like wood, but at present is very, very wet, so am attempting drying. I have turned Grass Tree before and this appears very similar, but very white.

Wait a minute! How do they know Josuha trees are thousands of years old if they don't have rings?

They found Methuselah's named carved in one...

On Apr 15, 12:55 pm, tom koehler wrote: The information plaque says there aee no growth rings. The cross section of a trunk looks like a single homogeneous woody mass, and feels quite solid and woodlike.

Tom,

I specialized in Botany in undergrad and grad school. The trees you are describing are monocotyledon. These have their vascular system spread through the whole trunk in bundles. Other monocots are palms (Arecaceae), screwpines (Pandanaceae), bananas (Musaceae), Yucca, Aloe, Dracaena, and Cordyline.[3].

Dicotyledons (what we usually call wood) have the vascular cell types seperated. There is a ring of cambium. Inside that ring are the vascular types that carry water upward (heartwood). Outside the ring of cambium are the living vascular elements that carry food downward (sapwood).

THat's a very simple description, but ... Anyway, palm is turned regulalry so I see no reason whay Joshua couldn't be. It would probably turn similarly to palm.

On Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:09:57 -0500, scritch wrote (in message ):

arrgh, there's the rub. So far, there are fair estimates, and that's it. Pictures taken of a particular stand a hunnerd years ago, and then comparing with a contemporary picture of the same stand and finding some trees in both pics. Current estimating methods in some circles is to say that they likely grow "x" inches per year, and then extrapolate the mergafferator into a conclusion that some of the bigger trees are maybe a hundred and fifty years old, give or take 20 or 30 years or so. Approximately.

I just think it would be fun to turn some of this stuff. I saw plenty of dead and very dry Joshua trees in the desert, and they seemed quite solid and reasonably hard... and illegal to cut a chunk offa government land.

chicken with no bone, cherry with no stone, and now wood with no grain, oh my.

tom koehler

On Tue, 20 Apr 2010 8:31:09 -0500, ebd wrote (in message ):

Thanks for the info, and in a digestible form. I want a chunk of this stuff, but have not yet found a legal source. tom koehler

the trees grow near palmdale all over the place - look for one that has fallen down

"tom koehler" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.frontiernet.net...

On Wed, 21 Apr 2010 0:05:29 -0500, Bill Noble wrote (in message ):

Thanks for your reply, Bill. Unfortunately, I am back home from my vacation trip, and am in northern Minnesota. Now, if you were able to get a nice chunk, about so big, I'd be glad to pay the UPS shipping plus a modest stipend for your efforts. remove any appearances of "nospam" and "invalid" from my return address. Note that the word "net" appears twice in my address. We could discuss the details. tom koehler

does anyone on this NG live in the palmdale/mojave area?

"tom koehler" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.frontiernet.net...